Summary/Application Revision

Reading:
Bird, Gloria. "Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1:Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony" Wicazo Sa Review, 9, 2 (Autumn, 1993)1-8

In Gloria Bird's Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1: Leslie Marmon Silko's "Ceremony", the author is attempting to bring awareness to the reader, of the colonization that has complicated self-identification among the younger generations of American Indians through a sense of "otherness" that has been applied to, and often adopted by, these people. Through this awareness, one can begin to decolonize one's own mind; that is, unlearn the stereotypes and implications that have infiltrated the culture through European influences. Bird explains how Leslie Silko's Ceremony confronts the challenges faced by those who have been affected by this "other" identity, giving an insight to the awareness required to self evaluate, hence decolonize the mind, seeing oneself not through the eyes of the colonizer, but the colonized.

For Bird, colonization comes from a number of influences. The stereotypes of American Indians introduced by the colonizers, the thought that the colonizers own everything, and the negative concept of "otherness" are all seen by both Bird and Silko as means of colonization. These many aspects produce an internalized colonization, an accepted version of the ideas brought forth by the majority. In Ceremony, Bird claims, Silko portrays instances of self immobilization against these issues, allowing the reader to see the protagonist face the same fears that they face themselves. For example, although Tayo feels bitterness toward something that keeps him from recovering, he is afraid, and therefore unable to realize what it is that is oppressing him. Rather than to seek knowledge, he hides from the unknown, but when witnessing the protagonist deal with these truths, the reader must do the same.

What Bird is attempting to stress in her essay is the idea of colonization, how it has affected the people, and what the people must know in order to overcome the struggles they face. Through Silko's Ceremony and its many well-played uses of several literary methods, one can see this manifestation, and what is necessary to overcome the title of "other". For Bird, Ceremony is an example of the assimilation, how it has affected American Indians, and how we can unlearn what has been taught.

One of Bird's most emphasized ideas is that colonization has deteriorated the Native American culture, not only from pressing stereotypes against them, but also through the American Indian's acceptance of said stereotypes. Bird feels that the internalization of the oppression continues it, and only by facing what we fear are we able to overcome. For Bird, "only in the moments when we are able to name the source of our deepest pain can we truly be said to be free of the burdens they represent" (Bird, 2). For her, we come to face these sources through watching Tayo face them in Ceremony. Tayo is clearly uncomfortable with his heritage; he felt he didn't belong because "[his] mother went with white men" (Silko, 118). Of course, this feeling didn't spring from within him alone. The feelings of separation were formed from outside sources; specifically, Auntie. From a young age, Tayo was aware that "he's not full blood anyway" (Silko, 30). Auntie made sure that Tayo was "close enough to feel excluded" (Silko, 61). Auntie's feelings, however, sprung from her own self-inflicted criticism. Her mixed identity, her heritage and her adopted Catholicism, leave her in a place of constant judgment, as well. For Auntie, this internalization interfered with her heritage in several ways. The fact that she went to church alone didn't match up with her tribe's belief that the community was a whole. She also didn't want the medicine man to come help Tayo because "you know what people will say"(30, Silko). Her acceptance of the colonizer's religion and social formalities were more important to the well being of her nephew. With an early exposure to this kind of mindset, Tayo struggled with these feelings, only he would not allow himself to admit it. His fear of being the "other", unlike the colonizer, kept him from opening himself to the heritage he needed to embrace. It was the lack of his culture, a fear of it, that leads him to despair. Another instance of these internalized stereotypes can be seen in Emo. He has become the drunk, violent American Indian war vet that people come to expect. His fear of becoming this stereotype has lead him to the very thing they all want to avoid. Bird feels that these struggles can be used to help the reader identify what it is they're hiding from themselves, what it is they are too afraid to face. We see Tayo embrace his culture; the land, the stories, and the pride that comes from being aware of the lies of the white man. Tayo had to look past the lie that the white men own everything and are superior to others. When he can see beyond what he had been taught by the white men, and those that subdued to what they were taught, Tayo learns what he truly is, no longer afraid to embrace it.

Bird also feels that language plays an essential role in decolonizing the mind. Through assimilation, the language and its roles have been lost. For Native Americans, language is an intricate, dependent structure that relies on the stories and histories for meaning. The art of language, as it is to them, plays a vital role in the culture; not just passing on stories, but creating an interdependent structure through which communication and history are built. Silko uses this idea throughout Ceremony, not only as a subject of colonization, but as a way to connect the story, to make all it's parts equal, and come together to form the complete transformation of the protagonist. In more than one way, as Bird points out, language is used to express this idea of connectedness to the reader. Silko uses traditional stories dispersed throughout the novel as a way of connecting all things, and a non-traditionally structured story line (at least from the eastern perspective), for the similar purpose of connecting all the parts of the story. We learn through Ku'oosh that "no word exists alone, and the reason for choosing each word had to be explained with a story about why it must be said this certain way" (Ceremony, 32-33). While Tayo first feels that the language is "childish" (31), he comes to appreciate it and its powerful abilities and important roles in the culture.

Through applying Bird's theories to Ceremony, we are able to see how Silko portrays a character that deals with the struggles of assimilation laid out in Bird's essay. It illustrates the internalization of colonization, where it comes from, and how one can overcome it. For Bird, Tayo's journey expresses the path one must follow in order to decolonize their minds, to see themselves through their own eyes rather that the eye of the oppressor. By learning of Tayo's struggles, the reader has a catalyst to help them conquer their own.